10 Powerful Truths About Your Identity in Christ Every Christian Woman Should Know

Do you ever wonder why some women are so confident in who they are and what they are called to do, while others seem lost, confused, and unsure? There is one common difference, and that is knowing who you are in Christ. Understanding how your relationship with God impacts your identity changes how you see yourself, others, and the world around you. 

It wasn’t until I truly understood my position and who I was in my relationship with God that I was able to finally put away shame and timidity and live boldly for God.  

Knowing who you are in Christ gives you unshakable confidence that you take in every room you enter, and it’s not only available to a select few but to every woman who has placed their faith in Christ. So if you’re a Christian woman ready to truly embrace your identity in Christ so you can boldly live for God, stay tuned. 

I have two passports. One is from when I worked as a Grants Specialist at the Department of State, it is a diplomatic passport for someone traveling as a representative of the United States and the other is my personal U.S. passport. Donald and I recently got back from an amazing couples trip in Jamaica and because this was an international trip, we needed our passports. Now I haven’t worked for the Department of State for over 12 years now, so that diplomatic passport is expired. It would not have gotten me into Jamaica, or any other country for that matter and certainly not back into the USA. I had to use my new, up-to-date personal passport to prove my identity.

When we accept Christ into our lives, our old identification expires like my diplomatic passport, and is no longer useful. But we get a new identity that grants us rights, authority, and privileges empowering us to do things and go places we’ve never done and gone before. Now if you don’t know what those privileges are, even if you have a new identity, you won’t take advantage of them. This is why it is so important to know who you are in Christ, because that new identity with a fresh kingdom passport grants you access that you don’t want to miss out on. 

So in today’s video, I’m sharing:

• 10 truths the Bible reveals about your new identity in Christ 
• Why accepting your identity in Christ is so difficult - how to overcome obstacles
• What rights, privileges, and freedoms are available to you when you accept your identity in Christ 

But first I need to note that to obtain a new identity in Christ, you must accept Him as your Lord and Savior. Learn more on how to do that by clicking the invitation link in the description of this video. 

1. Child of God

When you do place your faith in Christ or if you already have, you are now a Child of God. 1 John 3:1 says:

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1 ESV)

You may have heard the term child of God many times, but do you really understand what that means? It means we are part of God’s family. He’s taking us as one of His own. The book of Ephesians outlines the spiritual blessings we hold and have access to when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. The text tells us that we are loved, forgiven, redeemed, and importantly adopted as Children of God. We are part of His family. We belong.

It’s become so cliche to say I’m a child of God, but the truth is this is probably one of the most difficult realities to accept about our new identities in Christ. Often, we compare our relationships with our earthly parents to God. There is a good reason for this. As the first authority and family figure in our lives, our parents shape and form how we view, experience, and relate to God. So in the areas where our parents fell short, it’s natural to ascribe and expect those same shortcomings from God. But the truth is God is not like man. His character is defined by the truth we read in His word, not our experience with others. To embrace ourselves as children of God, we have to embrace God as Father. How do we do that? It’s a lifetime work of allowing His truth to transform our minds and invade our hearts through intentionally cultivating a relationship with Him. It’s getting to know Him for who He really is instead of who fear tells us He might be. At some point, we take the risk and trust God and let Him prove Himself to be the faithful Father the scriptures tell us He is. He has not left us as orphans. We are accepted and we have a place where we belong. 

2. Beloved of God

Next, the Bible reveals that we aren't just any children of God, but that we are Beloved children. Ephesians 5:1 says:

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” (Ephesians 5:1 ESV)

You can be a child and part of a family and still be neglected, overlooked and unloved, but that’s not our story in Christ. As God’s children, we are loved deeply by Him. How do we know this? Love is best expressed by sacrifice. If someone only wants from you but is not willing to sacrifice for you, that’s not love, that’s simply infatuation. Most of us have probably experienced this before. We thought someone loved us, but when it came time for them to make a sacrifice, they couldn’t or chose not to do it. God on the other hand has already proven His love to us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. There is no greater love than this as John 15:13 tells us, and that love is ours. The question is, will we receive it? 

We struggle with this because we ask the wrong questions. We ask, am I lovable? Am I worthy of love? We may even find ourselves trying to prove our love to others to show we are qualified for love. But you already are. God considered you worth His love and sacrifice. You don’t have to work to receive love, you already are loved and whether you believe it or not, His love can never be taken from you. Romans 8:31 tells us that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Someone can give you a gift, but you don’t have to open it up. Love has been given; it’s our job to receive it. You were, are, and forever will be God’s Beloved. 

3. Joint Heirs with Christ

As Beloved children of God, that also means we are heirs. An heir is a person entitled to the property or authority of another. Children are heirs to their parents. We are heirs to God just as Christ is. Romans 8:17 says:

“And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:17 ESV)

If we can believe that Jesus is the Son of God, this scripture reminds us that we too, are His children. Just like Christ is an heir to the Kingdom, so are we. This means a few things.

First, it means we get something. Being an heir means you get an inheritance. Ephesians 1:11 says:

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

As children, we are heirs; as heirs, we have an inheritance. What is that inheritance?

First, we get what’s God’s and best of all, we get Him. As believers in Christ, God deposits His own spirit within us when we are saved. It’s not riches and fame, it's better. It’s a guarantee of eternal life once riches and fame are no more. 

Every good parent wants to pass good things on to their children. Many times, it’s material things, but some of the most important things we can pass on to our children are not physical because all this will pass away one day. We also pass along Christ and the gift of the Gospel. We pass along integrity, life skills, and wisdom as these things can’t be taken away. In the same way, our Heavenly Father passes along unseen gifts that can’t be taken away—His Spirit and the covenant of His presence with us always both in life and death.

Having an inheritance also means we carry a legacy. Every parent usually wants to pass on what they have to their children to continue their heritage. Often, our work won’t be finished in our lifetime. What a blessing to be able to pass that work on to another to keep it alive so it doesn’t die out. As God’s children, we carry on His image and legacy in His most important work: the passing on of His grace through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

4. Salt and Light

As we are to preserve that legacy through the Gospel, Christ calls us salt and light of the earth. In Matthew 5:13-14, Jesus says:

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Salt adds flavor but it also keeps food from spoiling. As heirs of God with His Spirit dwelling in us, we are as salt shaken out over the earth preserving it because God will not destroy what is His. But we’re not here just to preserve the earth, but to be light that shows Christ to the world. God has entrusted us to this very important work and as his beloved children and heirs, we are the only ones who can do it. This is serious work because only heirs of God who have placed their faith in Christ can be salt and light. If we don’t do it, no one else can because God has chosen us for this very reason.

5.  Chosen

In John 15:16, Jesus says: 

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” (John 15:16 ESV)

Jesus makes it clear that our identity in Him is not based on our choosing Him, but Him choosing us. We often get this backwards. We think that we have to do more or be enough for God and then He might choose us, but that’s not how it works. Beloved, you are already chosen. You were chosen before you did anything. God desired to be in a relationship with you and it’s out of His choosing you that enabled you to recognize and choose Him back. What this gives us is security. If our relationship with God is based on us choosing Him, it’s not secure because we fail, we fall short, we change our minds, and sometimes we don’t even trust ourselves. But we can always trust God, and that if He’s chosen us, we will always be chosen by Him.

6.   A Holy Nation

We are also called by Him and not just individually, but collectively. 1 Peter 2:9 says:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9 ESV)

As believers, we have been chosen collectively as a nation, priesthood, and a people to bring light into this dark world. This means we don’t do it alone. We were chosen by God to do this work together. So we’re not just called to a certain work, we’re called to each other, to do this work as a collective. 1 Corinthians 12:19-20 tells us:

“If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭19‬-‭20‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Yes, we have our individual identity in Christ, but it makes up a larger body of Christ for a work we’re all called to that’s greater than just ourselves. This is why finding your identity isn’t just about figuring out what you’re the best at or how special you are. Yes, you’re great at a lot of things and you are special, but it is for the glory of God and for the chosen people of God.

7.   Fearfully and wonderfully made

Now you may wonder, why would God choose you? Well Psalm 138:14-14 says: 

“For you formed my inward parts;  you knitted me together in my mother's womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 138:13-14)

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. This is what scripture tells us about our identity. But when we look in the mirror, how often are we faced with negative self-talk that tells us that we are anything but fearfully and wonderfully made? The challenge occurs when we’re too busy trying to find good in ourselves to give us self-esteem, and we become distracted from looking at God. When we look to God, and we remember His truth, we also remember what He said about us that trumps what we even think about ourselves. That we’re fearfully and wonderfully made because He made us that way. We will have a tough time finding our true worth and value by constantly looking at ourselves, but we will find it when we look to the one who made us worthy and valuable.

8. A New Creation

I know that is is not always our first instinct because when we look at ourselves, we will often see the scars of our past mistakes, the wear and tear of living in this fallen world, and the shortcomings that we just can’t seem to overcome. But 2 Corinthians 5:17 tell us that in Christ, we are new. The verse reads: 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Your identity isn’t in what you’ve done or what’s been done to you. Your identity is in the sacrifice for you that He made on the cross. Now, when God looks at you, He doesn’t see the sins of your past. He doesn’t see the mistakes that you’ve made. He sees the righteousness of His Son covering you. Ephesians 4:23-24 tells us:

“Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

Your past is like my old passport, it’s expired and no longer a valid source of identification for you. Now, when God opens your new passport, which represents your new identity, He sees Jesus and He says she’s one of mine, she gets all access no matter what. 

9.   God’s Workmanship
   

Next, Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God’s workmanship saying:

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

God is building His kingdom. He’s establishing His reign here on earth as it is in heaven, and He invites us in that building process. We are part of His greater work for His greater purpose. Now here’s how this relates to our identity: God is the one doing the work.  He’s working on us as we work for Him. He’s molding and shaping us into the people He desires us to be. This is not work we do on our own because we can’t. But as we surrender our lives to God, He makes us worthy of the work He’s called us to. 

This means that from the beginning of time you had purpose, God had a reason for creating you and making you fearfully and wonderfully made because there was a work that He would call you to that only you in your chosen uniqueness can accomplish.

It’s not about doing work for the sake of doing the work, it’s about fulfilling the purpose that God has placed on us, and trust me, God will not call us to what He has not equipped us to do. So whatever He’s called you to, remember you were made for this.

10.   Friends of God

Finally, I want to remind you that you are a friend of God. In John 15:15, Jesus says:

“No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15 ESV)

We are servants of God called to do a work that He purposed for us to do, but more importantly, we are also friends of God in that Jesus has opened a way for us to know Him intimately. We don’t only have a master-servant relationship. It’s also a friend-friend relationship where there’s an intimate connection of knowing that we can have with God because he’s opened that opportunity to us. Friends are special because you accept them just because you like them, you have common interests, and you enjoy their company. As friends of God, we are reminded that’s how He feels about us.

So as a quick review, the Bible tells us we are:

1. Children of God
2. Beloved of God
3. Joint Heirs with Christ
4. Salt and Light
5. Chosen by God
6. A Chosen Generation / A Holy Nation
7. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made
8. A New Creation
9. God’s Workmanship
10. Friends of God

Please let me know in the comments, which of these identities resonates most with you in this season of your life. I look forward to connecting with you in the comments.

I want to note that knowing your identity in Christ is not the same as embracing your identity in Christ and you may face some challenges in the process so I invite you to watch this video where I share the 3 major obstacles you must overcome to embrace your identity in Christ.

For more encouragement, download my free Bible Study, “Worry-Free,” to learn the 3 lies feeding your worry and the truth to set you free at belovedwomen.org. Thanks for watching, and until next time, be beautiful, blessed, and beloved.

BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS:

Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:15-21

Key Verse: 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

READ: How does someone receive new life in Christ? What changes about someone when they receive this new life?

REFLECT: The scripture reveals we should no longer view people and ourselves from a human perspective because they are now new in Christ. Why is this important?

RESPOND: What areas do you struggle to accept that you’ve been made new in Christ? How does God’s truth help you see yourself as new in this area?

REQUEST: Pray for fresh eyes to see how God has and is changing you into a new creation for His glory.